1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to puzzles and/or games in general and in particular to games and puzzles of the assembly type in which a plurality of graphic or indicia-bearing puzzle or game pieces are assembled or interconnected so as newly to create or restore a complete graphic pattern such as a predetermined picture or other display. More particularly, the present invention relates to an assembly puzzle and a method for creating a graphic display or restoring a predetermined graphic display in which a plurality of indicia-bearing puzzle pieces are separably interleaved together so that sections of the puzzle pieces overlap one another to cover certain non-indicia-bearing surface portions thereof or, at least in some embodiments, to cover indicia-bearing surface portions which are not part of the graphic display being created or restored and to leave selected surface portions exposed. The resulting composite or solved puzzle may thereby display one or more newly created graphic patterns or restored predetermined graphic patterns on either the front or reverse side of the assembled composite (or on the outside or inside if the assembly forms a three-dimensional structure), or on both sides.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various assembly puzzles of the general type with which the present invention is concerned are known in the art. Examples of these are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,923,307 dated Dec. 2, 1975 in the name of V. J. Sukys; U.S. Pat. No. 4,666,163 dated May 19, 1987 in the name of U. Hirschfeld; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,419,081 dated Dec. 6, 1983 in the name of P. R. Steinmann.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,923,307 to Sukys is deemed illustrative of the state of the art in puzzles or games that are assembled to form geometric configurations. However, there is no way to interlink the sections in U.S. Pat. No. 3,923,307. Sukys neither illustrates nor suggests a puzzle consisting of a plurality of indicia-bearing and separably interleaveable puzzle pieces which, upon assembly of overlapping pieces into a composite, may display one or more different newly created graphic patterns or restored graphic patterns on either a first or second surface (e.g., the front or back surface) or on both such surfaces of the assembled composite. Nor does Sukys disclose or suggest such a puzzle the solution to which consists of creating or restoring one complete graphic pattern on the first surface of the composite while at the same time creating or restoring a different graphic pattern on the second surface of the assembled puzzle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,666,163 to Hirschfeld is deemed illustrative of the state of the art in card games in which each card has one slit that is used to insert the card into the slit of one other card thereby forming a card pair. However, Hirschfeld fails to illustrate or suggest a puzzle or game of the type disclosed herein in which the solution is achieved by the method of interleaving more than two puzzle or game pieces by which they overlap one another in order newly to create or restore one or more different complete graphic patterns on either the first or second (e.g., front or back) surface of the assembled composite. Nor does Hirschfeld disclose or suggest such a puzzle the solution to which consists of the method of restoring one predetermined graphic pattern on the front surface of the assembled composite while at the same time restoring another predetermined and different graphic pattern on the back surface of the assembled puzzle. Moreover, Hirschfeld fails to disclose or suggest a puzzle in which one or more complete graphic patterns can be divided among an unlimited number of overlapping puzzle pieces. Hirschfeld also does not disclose or suggest a puzzle in which the composite assembled as a result of overlapping the puzzle pieces can be of any shape or size so long as it is a multiple of the puzzle piece. Finally Hirschfeld fails to disclose or suggest a puzzle of the type disclosed herein in which the method of interleaving puzzle pieces allows the distribution and restoration of three complete and different graphic patterns on the front surface of the assembled composite and three more on the back.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,419,081 to Steinmann is deemed illustrative of the state of the art in mathematical teaching aids that use cards or blocks to illustrate processes for solving algebraic equations by mating each block edge-to-edge via mating edge alignment tabs and notches. The Steinmann blocks however can only be mated in one configuration. Steinmann also fails to disclose or to suggest a puzzle or game of the type disclosed herein in which the solution is achieved by the method of interleaving the puzzle pieces so as newly to create a graphic pattern or restore one or more different predetermined graphic patterns on either the first or second (e.g., front or back) surface of the assembled composite. Nor does Steinmann disclose or suggest such a puzzle the solution to which is represented by an interleaved composite displaying one restored graphic pattern on the front surface while at the same time a restored but different graphic pattern is displayed on the back surface of the assembled puzzle.
Nor do the aforementioned patents disclose the extension of the invention disclosed and claimed in application Ser. No. 07/434,877 (hereinafter sometimes called the "co-pending application") to the third dimension.